The first moment of doubt came early. I was about 15km in, hauling myself up a steep climb to High Street, the old Roman road that slices through the eastern fells of the Lake District. The sun had vanished. In its place: cloud, wind, and a sharp temperature drop that caught me out badly. I pulled my sleeves over my fingers and gritted my teeth. My gloves, naturally, were buried at the bottom of my pack.
This was the 5 Valleys Ultra – a 55km point-to-point trail race that forms part of the broader 13 Valleys series. The full offering also includes a shorter 21km route, plus 110km and 180km versions for the truly unhinged. The course begins in Patterdale and ends in Kendal, climbing more than 2,200m along the way. I hadn’t brought trekking poles. That was already feeling like a poor decision.
